


Sunrise, Sunset

by Tinywriterfairy



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Prequel, Secret Identity, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-04-25 10:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22295353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinywriterfairy/pseuds/Tinywriterfairy
Summary: Johnny and Kun are perfectly normal neighbors, except one's a vampire and the other's a god. And neither wants the other to know. What could possibly go wrong?#JS201
Relationships: Suh Youngho | Johnny/Qian Kun
Comments: 8
Kudos: 143
Collections: Johnny Fic Fest: Round One





	Sunrise, Sunset

Johnny stepped outside and shut his door. The last rays of the sun bled through the town, painting everything a light red. If he looked long enough, it almost looked like blood. He could manage the weaker light at sunset. Johnny locked the door and started down the walk. Houses lined the street, mostly for families of the white picket fence variety—a decent neighborhood, no crime, plenty of children running around, very safe. It made the perfect hiding place for someone like him. No one expected a vampire in the suburbs.

He almost ran face-first into Kun. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Kun waved him off, stepping back until they could look at each other comfortably. “Hi, Johnny.”

“Hi.” Kun was warmer than most humans; Johnny missed the warmth when Kun moved. He swallowed. “How was your day?”

Kun shrugged. “You know, the usual. Are you ready to work all night?”

“You know it.” Johnny grinned. “I love the night shift.” Kun’s heartbeat called out, slow and steady.

“I don’t understand why.”

Johnny shrugged. “It’s more fun this way.” And he didn’t do so well in the sun. “Besides, all my work friends do the night shift. This way we can keep each other company.”

**“**I suppose that makes sense. I shouldn’t keep you.” Kun stepped back again, turning toward his house. “Have a good night, Johnny.”

“I will. Thanks, Kun. You, too.” He always had good nights after seeing Kun.

He hadn’t lied to Kun that all of his work friends ran the night shift. Johnny slipped into the hospital through the employee’s entrance just off of the parking lot. A shift full of vampires tended to stick together. It did make for interesting times. He made his way into the employee locker room. He stripped and started putting on his scrubs.

“What’s got you in a good mood?” Taeyong asked from the locker space next to his. “You’re rarely this happy before a feeding.”

Johnny shrugged. “It just feels like a good night.”

“Hmm.” Taeyong shut his locker. “Well, just make sure you keep that good mood after you feed. I think the patients will like it.”

It was true. Johnny actually hummed as he snuck into blood storage. He had never been that fond of feeding. The blood bags they stored separately from those for patients had made it a little better, but it was the process that he didn’t like. But apparently seeing his neighbor made everything better. Johnny took two bags of AB blood and allowed his fangs to slide out. He didn’t mind them. If he hadn’t liked parts of being a vampire, he would never have allowed Yuta to turn him. It was the blood he wasn’t fond of. Johnny closed his eyes as he bit into the first bag. The upside of the plastic was a seal like human skin with less clean up. He didn’t have to taste the blood this way, either, as it went right into his fangs. That didn’t mean he liked the idea of it. He disposed of the first bag and bit into the next one.

The second bag wasn’t nearly as bad; once he had started, Johnny usually didn’t mind that much. He emptied the bag and disposed of it as the new blood coursed through him. As the last of the blood he needed flowed into him, Johnny sighed. He tossed the second bag and slipped out of the storage room. Once it settled in his veins, Johnny locked the door and went to retrieve his patient files. The front desk had several patients for him to visit.

Yes, perhaps tonight would be a good night.

***

Kun woke from his resting state just as the sun rose. It had been a long time since he had truly needed sleep, but a little rest every day kept him in a better mood. He liked watching the sunrise, too. It painted the sky in beautiful colors without him having to do a single thing.

He brewed coffee instead of eating and dressed in simple clothes. Cardigans kept him warm, and besides, the kids liked them. He stepped outside to lock his door just as Johnny appeared at the end of their street.

Kun waved. He kept back from the end of his walk to make sure they wouldn’t run into each other again. It hadn’t felt bad to be close to Johnny, but humans could be picky about these things. And it wouldn’t do to reveal too much. He approached once Johnny had seen him and waved, too.

“Good morning.” He opened his mailbox, which was thankfully empty. “Or, good evening, for you maybe.”

Johnny laughed gently. Despite working a full night shift at the hospital—and weren’t the humans at least insistent that their workers not work more than a certain number of hours at once?—he didn’t look too tired. “Whichever it is for me, good morning to you. How are you?”

“I’m good. I haven’t had much of a day yet.” He cocked his head. “I should let you get to sleep, though.”

“Ah, yes.” Johnny stepped back. “And I should let you get to work. Have a good day, Kun.”

“Thank you, Johnny.” Kun waved again as he slipped away. Johnny went into his house, locking the door behind him. Kun sometimes wondered what secrets he kept in that house that never drew back the blinds.

He took the subway to work. The other occupants always fascinated him. Plenty of people came through and disappeared all the time. For all that each human was so fascinatingly different, many of them looked the same with their business clothes and harried looks. He had a few regulars, too. The older woman with the colorful shawls who constantly knitted more; the businessman who scanned a newspaper for two stops before tossing it onto an empty seat; the young student with the KU bag who drew in a sketchbook.

Work started off easily enough. Kun unlocked the library and turned on the lights. His branch was one of the smallest in the city, but it suited him. They stored plenty of books on shelves that stretched across the room and even followed the curve of the main circular room. Kun set himself up behind the main desk. A smaller desk upstairs served information, but Kun’s job was to stay at the large desk where he could actually take care of the books. Jungwoo had left everything in good condition the night before and put all the books away, so Kun sat behind the desk to take care of the never-ending paperwork. It was his least favorite part about pretending to be human—even a god couldn’t just get rid of paperwork.

The first arrivals came in when he was about halfway through the stack of papers. Donghyuck and Jaemin waved at Kun as they slid their books into the return slot.

“Where are the rest of you?” Kun slid over on the wheeled chair. Donghyuck and Jaemin had brought in books all of their friends had checked out two weeks ago, a series of texts on Egyptian mythology. He held back a snort.

Donghyuck shrugged, leaning against the counter. “Renjun has some kind of meeting to get to, the babies are too sleepy to come this early in the morning, and I think Jeno just forgot we were coming today.”

Kun allowed himself a small laugh at that. “Forgot? When you’re in here every other day?”

“He’s silly like that sometimes.” Jaemin tugged on Donghyuck’s elbow. “Come on, I want to check out the astrology books today.”

As if those would answer any of their real questions about the world. Kun set to work checking their books back in. People he knew less well entered, returning books, and more people he didn’t know skipped right by the desk to look at their offerings. Kun stored and filed almost by rote. Jungwoo would arrive soon, and Kun could get to the more entertaining part of his job.

The phone in the back office rang just as he waved away a new patron with their books. He slipped in to check it. The office wasn’t anything unusual, he was given to understand, if a bit packed. Bookshelves lined the two longer walls, Jungwoo had shoved a desk against the far wall under the outside window, and they kept the cabinets near the door. He crossed to the desk for the phone. _TEN _scrolled across the caller ID screen in calligraphic lettering no standard phone would allow. Kun rolled his eyes and pressed ‘hold.’

He left the office and didn’t return until the end of his shift. Ten would figure it out eventually.

***

Johnny almost fell over when someone tapped his shoulder. He startled away from his spot, hovering in his seat over the microscope on the counter to find Doyoung standing over him with his hands on his hips. “Hi?”

“Hi.” Doyoung glanced around, so Johnny did too. The lab seemed pretty normal to him, various instruments lining the walls and counters along with files and samples. Daeun had been working when Johnny came in, but they must have left when he focused in on his samples. “Was anyone else working in here?”

Johnny shook his head. “Daeun left while I was working.” He waved to where Daeun had been; the spot was empty. “What’s up.”

“The blood guys are coming today.” Doyoung cocked his head. “Our guys, not theirs. Can you supervise it?”

Johnny pulled his sample off the microscope plate. “I was almost done here anyway, but wasn’t Taeyong supposed to be free?”

Doyoung shook his head. “He was, but he got pulled into the ER. I have to go help staff down there, but you’re supposed to be in here anyway. Will it be okay?”

Johnny stood and stretched. “Yeah, that’s fine. Same place as always?”

“Yeah.” Doyoung helped him clean up. “What’s this for?”

Johnny took the scrap material from Doyoung to put into the sealed bag for trash. “I’m just peeking at my own cells for a personal project.”

“Again?” Doyoung picked up Johnny’s other folders. “What more is there to see?”

“Plenty. Every time they upgrade our instruments we learn more.” He had never quite grown past the stage of fascination with his own species. “Want to give me a sample?”

Doyoung wrinkled his nose. “Maybe another time.”

Johnny tossed his trash into the incinerator they used for sensitive samples. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“Sure.” Doyoung held open the door for Johnny as they left. “Come find me when you’re done, okay?”

“Why?” Johnny nudged him. “Thirsty?”

“No. Yes. Shut up.” Doyoung flipped him off and left, white coat rustling.

Johnny snorted as he turned toward the back of the hospital. Most large deliveries came in through the back; particularly of use for the vampires on staff, the regular blood deliveries came in the back, too. He let the back door swing shut behind him and leaned on the wall. The back door unfortunately also housed the dumpsters. The smell was not pleasant. Johnny distracted himself by trying to remember how many bags they still had in storage. He had fed recently, Doyoung hadn’t fed yet, Taeyong kept himself on a single bag per every few weeks routine, and while he wasn’t close to any of the other vampires on staff, none of them seemed particularly gluttonous. There had been eight when he went in, but if Doyoung’s reaction was any indication, maybe half of that was left?

Johnny straightened when a nondescript white truck pulled up the drive. The driver parked and hopped out, moving to the back of the truck for his delivery. The vampire felt young—he looked young, younger than Johnny had been when he turned, but looks didn’t mean anything. His aura was light, so few layers of years undeath folding out from him. Johnny might even have put him at the age he had died at, still young and very pretty. He looked nervous as he rolled the cart over.

“Are you the one I’m supposed to give this to?” he asked.

Johnny smiled at him to see if it would calm him down. “Is this your first time?’

The boy—Johnny couldn’t think of him as anything else yet—shrugged. “Does it matter?”

“Not necessarily, I’m just curious.” Johnny swiped his id card to open the door. “You’re not actually going to hand the cart over to me. Come on. What’s your name?”

“De—Xiaojun.”

Johnny didn’t question the slip. He’d had enough trouble transitioning out of using Youngho when he had first become a vampire. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Johnny.”

They navigated the hallways in relative silence, except for when Johnny told Xiaojun where to turn. He had to swipe them into the secondary blood room when they finally arrived. 

Xiaojun hesitated once inside, while Johnny closed the door. “Now what?”

“Did they tell you anything about how this works?” Johnny moved over to the refrigerator. “Bring that over here.”

Xiaojun rolled the cart over. “Not really. I was just told to bring this over and the vampire I spoke to would know what to do?”

Johnny laughed. “That’s fair. Most of us here work with blood all the time and, of course, this is where we all eat.”

Xiaojun nodded. “How do you handle all the blood?” He bit his lip, glancing at the refrigerator. “I have control, but I still have a hard time with blood that’s not in a closed container.”

Johnny shrugged. “That’s what this is for.” He held out a hand. “Okay, now you open the cart and pass me the blood.”

Xiaojun opened the cart. Rows of blood bags glistened under the fluorescent lights. Johnny’s fangs gave a weak pulse, almost like an afterthought. It was habit to push it away.

“You work for our blood supplier,” Johnny took the bags one by one as Xioajun passed them over, “so I assume they keep you well fed?”

Xiaojun nodded. Johnny hung the bags on the individual hooks lining the box. “Well, that helps. Not being hungry around patients—that really helps. It also helps that they’re mostly ill and in pain. It distracts from the blood. You can give me a few more at a time, you know. I’m not going to drop them.”

“Oh, right.” Xiaojun passed over a handful. Johnny tucked them into the crook of his elbow and passed each one into the fridge. “Still, don’t you have to deal with a lot of blood? Isn’t it hard?”

Johnny put the last of his batch of bags away. “It’s hard, but it’s worth it.” Bloodlust or not, nothing in his long life had compared to the experience of sewing a man back up from an injury that would otherwise have killed him. “Age and experience help.” He took the last few bags. “You’ll find situations in which you have to keep control of yourself because the consequences otherwise would be devastating.”

“Like surgery?” Xiaojun asked with wide eyes. He shut the door to the cart.

Johnny shook his head. “Like your human friend getting injured and knowing that if you hurt them you’ll never forgive yourself.” Taeyong had needed to be turned, he was hurt so badly, but that day had taught him much. Johnny hung up the last bags and shut the door. “It also helps when you’re not used to hunting for prey.”

“Did you—” Xiaojun shook himself. “Why does that help?”

Johnny tapped the fridge. “We all have the hunter’s instinct, it’s what used to keep us alive. But back when these first became readily available, we learned that keeping ourselves fed in a steady flow and not having to go looking for food in human beings helped keep us from getting so hungry that we start looking at every blood source as food.”

Xiaojun nodded slowly. “That makes sense.” He cocked his head. “But I’m not giving you the blood supply for the whole hospital, am I? Are they separated?”

“They are. Bring that with you.” Johnny pointed at the cart as he opened the door. “I’ll point out the main room on our way out.”

He made sure to take Xiaojun the long way around to point out the main blood bank. Xiaojun peered through the glass doors at the much fancier room.

“Pretty cool, isn’t it?” He patted Xiaojun’s shoulder. “Come on.” They didn’t talk about anything sensitive on the way out.

“Can I—I suppose I already have been asking questions but do you mind if I ask another?”

Johnny closed the back door. “Go right ahead, kid.”

Xiaojun pouted, presumably at the “kid.” “How do you manage keeping the bags we give you hidden? Surely someone could find them or figure out that they’re there?”

Johnny couldn’t help it; he grinned at Xiaojun with full teeth on display. “Who do you think owns this hospital?” He pointed the way they had come. “You think Dong Sicheng is going to let anyone find him drinking blood? I don’t know about any other hospital, but we’re pretty well hidden here.” Johnny had been very lucky, actually.

Xiaojun’s mouth made an O. “That does explain a lot. Are there many vampires here, then?”

He shrugged. “A few. Too many of us would be a little dangerous, don’t you think?”

Xiaojun nodded. Johnny stepped back as Xiaojun turned the cart back toward his car. “Have a good night, Xiaojun.”

He was an interesting boy. Hopefully fate wouldn’t be too hard on him. Johnny went to find Doyoung

***

Kun ran the last few books Jeno wanted through the scanner. “Are you sure this is everything? You don’t want another book on Ancient Rome?”

Jeno giggled. “I think we’re good. We’ve run through most of the mythology books that are available here and Renjun found a few interesting ones in the database from other branches.”

Kun smiled as he handed the books over the counter. “Well, it’s good to see someone making such thorough use of our resources.”

“You’re not tired of us?”

Kun shook his head. “It’s nice to have you around.” It had surprised him, to meet such curious young humans, especially curious about such things most of them ignored, but they were sweet. He printed Jeno’s receipt for him. “Even if I don’t know what you think you’re going to get out of this research.”

Jeno gave a secretive smile. “Thanks, but I’m not supposed to say.”

“Have fun, then.” Kun waved the boy off. He had the rest of the books the group had returned waited for him on the counter.

“Have they really checked out the whole mythology section?” Jungwoo asked through the open door to the office.

“Close to it.” Kun picked up the stack. “They left a few of the books that are obviously dumbed down for children. It’s a good thing, actually, because I’ve been meaning to reorganize that section for the new books we’re getting.”

“New books?” Jungwoo poked his head out from the office. His orange hair was ruffled, probably from dragging his fingers through it. “Did the kids order something?”

Kun put the stack of books on the top shelf of the cart they used to return books. He pointed at the boxes on the lower shelf. “No, they asked for a few, but when I was looking for those books I found some others they might find interesting. I’m going to wait and see how long it takes them to notice.”

Jungwoo laughed. “So you do like them.”

“Of course, they’re our best patrons.”

“That’s true.” He came out to sit where Kun had been. “I’ll watch the desk, then.”

“Thanks.”

Kun pushed the cart to the employee elevator near the end of the main counter. The trip up was short. The second floor looked much like the first, only without a true door and with a smaller desk. Kun pushed the cart past the information desk and the stairs to get to the classics section. Due to various interests, they had a slightly larger section than some other libraries Kun had been to. Different tomes lined several shelves.

Kun pulled everything off the shelves. A few of the books obviously went right back—the children’s books didn’t need moving, and he sorted a few of the more obviously wrong books with those. As for the rest … Kun sat in front of the stacks. He could enjoy himself while he worked, couldn’t he?

He skimmed through a few of the books before he sorted them into piles. They stored myths from many cultures here, all with a little piece of the true view of the world. Kun worked his way through their Chinese books first. That piece was enough to keep the gods fed—even now, when humans put their faith in knowledge, in discovery, it fueled a little spark inside him, enough to keep him going through the motions. Deep in the basement, below anywhere the humans were allowed on library property, his personal codex pulsed with a new bit of knowledge. The part of himself Kun kept locked down very tightly stirred in interest, but looking would be too dangerous for now. He couldn’t let anyone with the power to find him notice the book. Kun pushed it aside and moved on to the Greek myths.

_Bullfinch’s Mythology_. Kun couldn’t help his snort. Of all the false myths Ten had put out into the world to spark imaginations and distract from factual truths, this one had been the most amusing. Greece had been such a fun time. Perhaps he should have found Justice’s campaign of disinformation about the supernatural ironic, as god of knowledge. But then, who else could have done it and kept them all safe? Kun set _Bullfinch _on top of the stack. Besides, he hadn’t changed any of the real truths. He lingered, organizing the shelves, until Jungwoo had to come drag him away.

***

Kun almost ran into Johnny again on his way out of the house the next morning. This time, it was his fault. He was still considering making a visit to his underground trove after the day before instead of looking where he was going. Johnny waved off his apologies with a tight smile, backing carefully up toward his walk. He had a freezer bag over one shoulder.

“Did you go shopping?”

“What?” Johnny cocked his head.

Kun pointed to the bag. “I never see you with food, or even shopping bags now that I think about it. Did you go shopping on your way back? Actually, would a store even be open this early?”

“Oh.” Johnny looked down. “Yeah, there are a few places open all night. I just picked something up to bring back in case I’m hungry after I sleep.” He took another step back. “I should get it into the fridge, actually. And I should let you get to work.”

“Yeah.” Kun waved. Johnny practically sprinted into his house. How odd. Didn’t those freezer bags keep cold for quite a while? Kun turned from their houses once Johnny was no longer in view. Maybe Johnny was just paranoid. Kun made his way to the subway. He hadn’t been down to his trove in longer than he wanted to think about, but no matter how well hidden it was, interacting with his book risked awakening enough power for others to find him. Best not to yet. Kun settled back into the hard subway seat for the rest of his ride.

***

Johnny woke early. It happened sometimes, especially as he got older and needed less rest every night. Being awake didn’t mean he felt particularly inclined to go out into the sun, though. He got up, washed, dressed, even cleaned up a little. He sat around for an hour trying to watch television, but the eternal curse of nothing-to-watch haunted him.

He peered out the windows for something to do. His right-side neighbor’s house was empty and dark. A perfectly valid choice for a married couple with no children who, so far as he knew, both worked. Boring. He switched sides. Kun sat on the roof of his house. Was it his day off or something? What was he doing on the roof? Nothing looked broken; Kun didn’t even have a dish or an antenna up there to fix. He sat, legs crossed in a tailor’s seat, on the ridge of the roof**. **His eyes were closed; he turned his face to the sun, almost like a plant.

Was this what Kun did on his days off? Johnny probably should have felt guilty for watching, but it wasn’t like Kun hide behind a window or anything. Anyone could watch him from the sidewalk, too. Johnny propped his chin on his hand, leaning on the windowsill. Kun seemed so peaceful, sitting up there. It was nice to watch.

It was cute, too. Johnny couldn’t shake the thought even as he got ready for work, as he traveled, even as he changed at the hospital. He could, however, push the image away when he stood in his favorite patient’s room to tell her that she very likely only had months to live. She didn’t seem surprised. Johnny’s heart didn’t beat anymore but it ached as she smiled and thanked him for trying.

That stayed with him as he left her room, even as he spoke with other patients. Taeyong seemed to notice something when he took the patient files back from Johnny, but he had to know better than to ask about certain things in public. Johnny touched his shoulder before he moved on.

A note waited for him in his office; a simple folded sheet of white paper sitting in the middle of his desk on top of various other bits of paperwork. Whatever it was, it could wait. He sat, leaning back in his office chair, and dragged his hands over his face.

So many things were different when he was human, but particularly medicine, and even vampires. Back then, humans lived or died based on the rudimentary ideas of medicine. A few vampires had interfered, but turnings to save a life were primarily reserved for people dying of injuries. Now? So many people came through these doors and died when medicine was supposed to save them.

He sighed. He hadn’t lied to Xiaojun that fighting his instincts to be here was worth it for the lives he could save with his hands. He hadn’t mentioned the other instinct he had to fight. He couldn’t save any of them with his fangs, no matter how much he might want to fix everything for everyone.

Risking revealing them all was far too dangerous. Johnny shook it off. He scooted closer to the desk to pick up the note. It was probably harmless enough.

Or not, because printed on the sheet in Yuta’s careful script read:

_Don’t alarm the others, but something’s wrong. I’ve been hearing whispers of hunters sniffing around. Have you heard anything? I might come to you._

Hunters, making a comeback. As if any of them needed more on their plates. Johnny turned at a knock on the door. Taeyong stood in the doorway, looking worried.

“Are you okay?”

He shrugged. “About earlier? I was just contemplating the nature of immortality. But—look at this.” He held out the note.

Taeyong came over to take it. He read with furrowed brows. “Why does Yuta always feel the need to be so cryptic? What does he even mean, “whispers?” Have you heard anything?” He handed back the note.

Johnny took it. “Not about hunters, no. Not in years.” He turned the note in his fingers. He’d have to remember to take it home so it couldn’t be discovered by an unsuspecting human. “I suppose it was overly optimistic to hope that they had just died off.”

“Probably.” Taeyong leaned against the edge of Johnny’s desk. “Though all I know of them is the stories you and the others tell.”

Johnny snorted. “Yeah, those were fun times. I think my favorite was being hunted down for the great crime of being turned, like I hadn’t just wanted to live.”

It felt like forever ago, he had put it out of his mind so well. The other regrets of the time haunted him too much.

Taeyong cocked his head. “You did tell me about that, yeah. Wasn’t that when you stopped using your given name?”

Johnny nodded. “It was safer that way. I never really went back to using it, though, even when I could have. There was no point.”

Taeyong seemed to be pondering something deeply, brows furrowed over concerned eyes. “Do you ever regret it?” he asked quietly. “Changing?”

Johnny sat back. Being human had meant being ill for so long that he couldn’t remember another way to live. It colored everything, from first meeting Yuta to learning about what passed for medicine in the seventeenth century. And Dandan. Johnny shook his head. “There are things I regret not doing differently, maybe, but not turning. I’d rather be here than dead of a disease that wouldn’t even be named for centuries.”

“What things?”

“Oh, just …” He hadn’t thought about Dandan in ages, either. There wasn’t really any point. He had died centuries ago. “I had a friend, when I was human, who kept trying to cure me. I think he was just told that I died.”

“A friend?” Taeyong poked his shoulder. “A friend I haven’t heard about? What was he like?”

Johnny shrugged. “Gentle. Very, very smart. I think he was close to figuring out what was making me ill, but I never got to find out for sure. We used to just talk about anything for hours.”

Taeyong cocked his head. “Was he handsome?”

“What kind of question is that?” He had been. He looked quite a bit like Kun, actually. Taeyong shrugged. “I mean, it sounds like you had a crush on him, so I’m just wondering about your type.”

“I did not have a crush.” Johnny stuck the note in his pocket and stretched. At this point, he wouldn’t even know how to classify the the connection they had. They had been friends, certainly. The shared interest in medicine—what had passed for medicine in those days—certainly helped. He was always a little odd, but warm. And kind. “What does it matter, anyway? He’s long dead by now.”

Taeyong pushed off the desk. “If you say so. Let me know if you hear anything from Yuta?”

Johnny coughed. “Sure. Though it might not be for a while.”

Taeyong turned in the doorway. “Because your sire is weird or because you’re off tomorrow and you don’t know what to do with yourself so you’ll get into trouble.”

“Hey. I will not; Kun and I are going to see a movie. And I meant the first one.”

“Sure.” Taeyong waved. “Good luck with your new crush.”

“I do not have a crush!”

Did he? Somewhere in reminiscing about days gone by, the person he visualized had shifted. Instead of Dandan in a dark library lit by candles, he pictured Kun on his walk, in a cafe the few times they had managed to make their opposing schedules work, in his house. It was a really nice visual.

***

Johnny didn’t wake up as early the next day, thankfully. He didn’t need the extra time to think about what Taeyong had said and psych himself out while Kun was at work. He’d have plenty of time to do that while they were at the movie. Kun wanted to see the new war movie, so he could “judge how accurate it was.” Johnny wasn’t picky.

He waited ten minutes after he heard Kun’s footsteps on the pavement to go knock on Kun’s door. Kun opened the door immediately. Had he been standing on the other side already? He smiled at Johnny. “Hello.”

“Hi. Are you ready?”

Kun nodded. Johnny moved back to give him room as Kun stepped out of his house and turned to lock the door. They walked down together. Johnny pulled his steps a little shorter to keep pace with Kun.

“I wonder what the screens will look like,” Kun mused. “I’ve never been to a movie theater before.”

“Never?” Johnny gasped dramatically. It was a little odd, but whatever. “You’re in for a treat, then. You haven’t really watched a movie until you’ve seen it on the big screen.”

Kun gave a small smile. “Why is that?”

Johnny shook his head. “You’ll have to wait and see. It’s a whole other experience.”

The theater wasn’t that far away, so they walked over with plenty of time to spare. Kun seemed enamoured with everything as they walked in. He must really have never been near a movie theater, because he seemed to find everything from the ticket counter to the concessions counter to the seats fascinating. It was cute. He turned down snacks when Johnny offered them. At least Johnny wouldn’t have to fake being hungry.

He had been right about the movie; Kun watched in wide-eyed wonder as events unfolded larger than life. Johnny paid more attention to him than he did to the movie.

Kun paused between their houses when they returned. “Would you like to come inside for dinner?” He asked. “I know it’s a little late for that, but I know people eat at varying times, and I think you said you hadn’t eaten?”

Why had he said that? Fuck. He didn’t do well with food. “Did I? I’m sorry.” He backed away. “I had something small earlier, I must have forgotten about it.”

Kun cocked his head. “Aren’t you hungry now then? You didn’t eat at the theater.”

“Neither did you,” he tried. “Please don’t worry about me, I promise I got enough food.” He really didn’t want to have to pretend to eat. Johnny backed a little further up his walk. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Kun nodded, watching him carefully. “See you tomorrow, Johnny.”

Johnny escaped into his house despite wanting to smack himself in the face. What kind of idiot was he?

***

Johnny was being weird. Kun waved him off to sleep as he left for work. Ever since they went to see that movie, things had seemed off. First he hadn’t wanted to eat, which was fine, but ever since then Kun had been finding more little oddities. Johnny never ate around him. He never talked about food—most of the humans Kun had ever met talked about food incessantly, or at least mentioned it around their established meal times. Except for that one freezer bag, Kun had never even seen him interact with food, and Johnny kept to such a regular routine that Kun could predict when he would arrive home. It was strange.

He unlocked the library and started setting up for the day. Was there something else going on? Kun hadn’t bothered to use even dregs of his power for much in ages, but if something was wrong with Johnny he might justify peeking. Humans didn’t know enough about medicine—the irony of Johnny being a doctor wasn’t lost there—but if he could hint at something with his knowledge to help Johnny, it was worth it.

He let the thought go as he worked, checking books in and out and sorting returns and paperwork. Jungwoo took some of the books off his hands after a while, leaving Kun to go work on his pet projects in the back. He still kept his codex in the basement, but some of the other books he had collected over the years could use some maintenance.

He was dragged out of combing through a Sumerian text when the phone rang; _TEN _flashed across the screen. Kun sighed. Perhaps one call couldn’t hurt. He picked up the receiver. “What? Be careful what you say on this line?”

“_As if I didn’t know better than to hide your phone before calling you_,” Ten retorted. “_Is that why you haven’t picked up in a decade? I could have told you if you just answered the call_.”

It was nice to hear such a familiar voice after so long, even if Ten felt like chiding him. “No, I didn’t pick up the phone because I don’t want to be dragged back into the mess of our politics. I just want to be left to live, Ten. I’m done.”

“_I know._” Ten sounded aggravated. “_I disagree, but that’s not actually why I’m calling_.”

“Really?” Kun cracked his knuckles. “Because the last time I took a call from you, you said you wouldn’t stop asking until I agreed to help you.”

“_Oh, I’m not done asking_,” Ten laughed in that manic way he had when he was irritated. “_I just have a specific question for you. Back in the seventeenth century, you were pretty involved with the little human magic searchers, right?_”

Ah, the seventeenth century. An even better example of humans not knowing medicine. Kun sat back. “Yes. Why?” Youngho had been very interested in medicine, from what he recalled. Kun had done his best to hint at a cure for him, even if it didn’t exist yet. Even if it hadn’t worked.

“_Do you remember if they had any connection to that group of hunters who were running around?_”

“I don’t remember seeing any of them at the meetings, no. Why would they be?” Kun toyed with a pen. “Why are you even asking? That was centuries ago, all of those humans would be dead.” Youngho, too. He had died far too young even for a human.

“_Yes, but I’ve run into something I think is connected. You don’t want to talk about politics, so for this one phone call I’m not going to go into detail. You don’t think they’re connected?_”

Kun dropped the pen. “I don’t know enough to say that. It’s not like I was involved with the vampires. I only went to meetings with that group to make sure I heard if they found anything worth knowing. You know I was more involved with the medical community.” And poor Youngho.

“_Yes, yes, Dandan_,” Ten teased. “_I remember. Weren’t you very close to that one human who disappeared?_”

“Youngho.” Kun cleared his throat. “Yes. He was ill.”

“_Hmm. Something about that all sounded off to me. Anyway, could you check on that group for me? I won’t pester you about anything else_.”

“For now, you mean,” Kun responded on autopilot. Had Youngho’s disappearance been odd?

“_Of course, for now_.”

“Sure. I’ll call you if I find anything.”

Ten’s voice softened. “_Thank you, Kunkun._”

Kun hummed. They hung up. Kun spun his chair listlessly. What was he missing? What piece had Ten seen that he couldn’t? Youngho had mentioned other friends, had mentioned a few treatments that never worked. Then one day he just disappeared. Kun had dismissed it initially because he didn’t know any of Youngho’s other friends or family, but what if he had been wrong?

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Ten had always been overly suspicious. Perhaps it was infecting him, given how strange Johnny had been acting. Kun cocked his head. They did look alike. He would have just left it to the thought that they were related somehow, but Ten was making him suspicious.

Jungwoo’s timer went off to switch shifts. Kun stood to pick up some of the books left on the desk. He considered the question as he went to start reshelving. Youngho had disappeared mysteriously. Johnny didn’t eat. He got very strange about food, actually. He always worked a night shift—always, even when he mentioned others switching out of it. Kun had never thought to listen, but did Johnny have a heartbeat?

He considered it the rest of the afternoon, but never came to an answer. Kun walked slowly toward their houses. Johnny was locking his door. Kun took one deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them, the world looked different. Perhaps he had suppressed his other senses for too long, if he wasn’t used to his true view of things. Johnny waved as he approached. Kun waved back, pausing in front of his house.

He didn’t even need to get close to Johnny to tell. The layers of age that spilled off a vampire like an audacious cloak made it obvious. He had always thought vampires were a little ostentatious, though it wasn’t their fault that none of them knew how to hide properly. He smiled at Johnny when the other made it over. “Hello there.”

“Hi.” 

Kun asked about Johnny’s plans for the night. As if he needed more proof, Johnny didn’t have a heartbeat. Kun let Johnny tell him about something his friend Taeyong was planning. Now that he knew, the resemblance showed as more than uncanny. He should have known immediately. He nodded along as Johnny spoke while berating himself for growing complacent.

Kun waved again. “Have a good night at work. Johnny.” He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying “Youngho.” There was no reason to reveal himself so quickly, even to an old friend. Still, he couldn’t stop the smile as he went back to his own house. No wonder he had taken to Johnny so quickly. He had liked Youngho very much, and Johnny had barely changed. It would be interesting to see where things went for them. Kun couldn’t wait.


End file.
